Arnold Kriegstein
Arnold Kriegstein, director of UCSF's
Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program, endorses the recently proposed ethical guidelines for stem cell research."The suggestion [by the National Academy of Sciences] that review committees monitor [embryonic] stem cell research and provide ethical oversight has already been implemented at UCSF," he explains.
Nonetheless, for the stem cell research field to advance nationally, Kriegstein believes there needs to be a scientific consensus on what constitutes ethical practice, if for no other reason than to reassure a still uncertain general public. "This is a controversial field and people need to be convinced that there is a framework that governs experiments."
The proposed guidelines, which also set limits on the manner, timing and types of potential stem cell therapies that can be tested for safety and effectiveness in animals, are an "excellent and important" step in that direction.
Source: Jeff Miller
Related Links
Group of Scientists Drafts Rules on Ethics for Stem Cell Research (NY Times - Registration required)
Stem Cell Research Standards Offered
(LA Times - Registration required)
